


Under a Tree

by Azashenya, CelticArche



Series: Spice Drops and Roses [3]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Autism Spectrum, F/F, LSV, Original Character(s), Ravelry, Romance, accidental RP
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-01
Updated: 2013-12-01
Packaged: 2018-01-03 03:09:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1065043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azashenya/pseuds/Azashenya, https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelticArche/pseuds/CelticArche
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beth gets a chance to meet Rose outside of the cafe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under a Tree

It is still too early for good busking time but it’s a waste of time for Beth to head home first so she heads to a local park where there is some foot traffic and a bench to sit on and rest her feet. She is glad that the weather is holding good today as she sets up her viola case with a few coins, just in case anyone is feeling generous.

Still feeling bouncy from seeing Rose and Torri at lunch time and decides to start with ‘How Much is that Doggie in the Window?’. She makes the c-string on the viola bark with the heel of her bow and a little gliss and has fun with with tune, playing it through a few times before launching into something else that takes her fancy.

Keeping half an eye on her transient audience Beth plays a variety of music, mostly for her own amusement, ranging from childhood and popular music, to old folk and Celtic songs, to classical pieces. Having been spending so much time busking over the few years she enjoys getting to take some time to play things for her own amusement rather than to coax an audience.

  
Taking a break from playing to stretch and sip some water Beth looks around the park. In the distance she sees a familar figure, half hidden by a tree.  On impulse Beth packs up her viola and wanders over, trying to look casual

As she circles the tree Beth can see that Rose is hugging her knees and rocking, looking distressed. Beth hesitates before moving close enough for talking distance but far enough to not be intrusive

"Hey, Rose. It’s Beth, from the cafe. Are you ok?"

Rose can hear words over the music in her ears. She tucks her head down and mutters, "I’m fine."

Beth considers her for a moment. Rose doesn’t look fine. Beth remembers dealing with her cousin having a bad day.

"Well, if you’re fine would it be ok if I share your tree with you? My feet are sore and I need somewhere to sit for awhile before I go do some busking for today."

Rose shrugs.

Taking the lack of ‘no’ as sufficient permission Beth sits down within arms-reach of Rose but with her back to the same tree, looking out at the park. "This is a really nice sitting spot," she comments quietly.

Rose continues to rock, letting her back hit the tree and keeping her head down.  Beth pulls her knees up and wraps her arms around them. Leaning her head back she looks up through the tree at the sky, watching the way the leaves dance in the breeze.

"I used to sit like this with my cousin, Ross, when he was upset. There was an old tree in his backyard that we used to call grandmother oak… I have no idea if it was an oak tree, we just called it that. When he got stressed out he’d run out into the yard and sit under that tree, rocking just like you are now. It didn’t matter if it was raining or not. It used to drive his mother mad when he sat out there in the rain, but he just needed to get away to a safe place until his brain would let him unwind.

"I looked after him a lot when I was a teenager, before I moved here to go to Julliard. I miss him. He’s my favourite cousin. When he was little I always felt honored when he climbed over me as if I was a piece of furniture, it meant that he saw me as safe and familiar. And I always felt privileged when he let me sit beside him at his tree, letting me talking about the random shit in my life until he was ready to tell me about his.

"Would you let me do that with you? If not, that’s ok. It’s not like you really know me."

 Rose continues rocking, the music playing in her ears and the feel of the too large jacket wrapped around her.

 Beth shrugs, "That’s fine. I’m going to get my viola out and twiddle on her. You’ll have to tell me if I’m being annoying."

She gets her viola out, caressing its smooth varnish and smiling up through the leaves with a silent ‘thank you’ to her Grampa for making it for her. Leaning back against the tree she holds the viola like a guitar, picking out random snatches of melody and enjoying a chance to just slow down for a while. She will sit there as long as it take for Rose to be ready to speak, whether it is to tell her to go away or to actually talk.

Rose continues to rock silently for awhile, until all she can do is sit, curled up with her head on her knees. She kicks restlessly at the root of the tree and the dirt around it.  Beth keeps playing a while longer before speaking.

"Did Torri’s leftovers survive the trip home intact?" she asks quietly.

"Yes."

Beth smiles, and her fingers start plucking ‘How Much is that Doggie in the Window?’

"Did you get to see if the puppies liked their new food?"

"No."

"Well you’ll have to tell us how they liked it when you do. If we can’t tell Roy which bits they liked so he can come up with more he’ll just keep coming up with wilder ideas until he finds something that they’ll like. He thinks it’s part of being a chef and we all think that he’s just mad.  He’s the one that wanted to open the cafe in the first place, did you know that? The staff tell horror stories of all the red tape and official nonsense he had to go through to get permission to open a cafe that would be allowed to have more than just service dogs in the cafe, let alone sitting up at the tables like Torri does."  Beth tilts her head back to look up at the sky through the leaves.

"She likes to watch," Rose comments, being drawn into one of her favourite topics, Torri. 

"It makes perfect sense to me. It’d be pretty boring getting stuck under the table looking at people’s shoes all the time, especially given that she doesn’t wear shoes and so has no interest in them."  Beth laughs.  "Unless, of course, she likes chewing them and that would be worse… stuck under a table looking at all those toys and not being allowed to chase any of them."

Rose doesn’t recall Torri ever expressing an opinion on shoes that she’s aware of, so she keeps quiet and watches the ground and the little bits of green plants fighting hard to grow.  Beth gives her a few minutes before asking another question.

"What about the other treats? Did you get to give some of them out? Did Torri have to share?"

"Yes, no. One treat per dog. Rhedeg likes to hide his. Then wait for the others to finish. And then he brings his out and eats it in front of everyone. He’s a troll."

Beth laughs.  "Oh, he sounds like trouble. But I bet he manages to look cute while doing it." 

"The Alphas won’t leave him alone to watch the puppies. He tries to play tricks on them."

Beth blinks.  "Um, how many corgis do you have?"

"Nine including the puppies. They’re a pack and work as service dogs for security in the Tower. Or occasionally for going out with their humans. I’m Torri’s human. Hanna’s Thor’s puppy. And Bucky is Steve’s shepard mix. Eleven dogs. Seven adults. Four puppies. Eleven. No, five puppies. Hanna’s an older puppy. Five puppies. Six.. no. wait… Bucky is a big puppy, not a year old. Six puppies, five adults."

"Ok, so four little puppies, two big puppies and five adults."  Beth blinks again and laughs.  "Now I’ve got this mental image of them all in the same room, sprawled out… a corgi carpet."

"Rhedeg, Cyfarth, and Torri are.. 2ish? And Corgis. Bachog and Bachgen are the Alphas and parents of the puppies. The puppies are Saeth, Eugofarn, Tarin, and Taurin. Hanna is a fluffy yellow puppy of fluff, not a Corgi. Bucky is a shepard mix. I like to let treats ‘fall out of my pocket’ for him," Rose elaborates.

Beth can’t help sniggering at the idea of the treats falling out of her pocket to get snuffled up by a part-German Shepard.  "And of course he knows whose pockets to check for any falling treats?"

"Guilty," Rose admits.  "Perhaps I’ll fix those mysterious treat sized holes someday."

"Just so long as you don’t put not-treats in there. You know about not giving dogs stuff like chocolate, right? That’s why the cafe has the dog-chocolates."

"Yes. No onions, spicey things, sugar.."

"Just checking, you’d be surprised who doesn’t know about stuff like that," Beth explains herself.

"My grandparents had a German Shepard."

Beth smiles.  "One of my granny’s farm-dogs used to be a German Shepherd. And she had a corgi as a house dog, I used to go for walks with her when I stayed on the farm in the summers. She was called Polly and I used to call her Polly-Wally-Doodle… I still think that song is about dogs, not some girl called Susanna."  She plucks out the tune of "Polly Wally Doodle" on her viola.

Rose starts singing, "My Torri lies over the ocean, My Torri lies over the sea, Oh won’t you bring back my Torri to me, to me."

Beth joins in on the chorus while strumming her viola like a guitar.  "Bring back, bring back, Oh Bring back my Torri to me."

Smiling, Rose starts on another one, "Corgi Time…dun dun dun dun dun dun dun.  You can’t bark this.  Stop.  Corgi Time."

On her turn Beth sings the tune of 'Danny Boy', "Oh Torri dog, the fish the fish are calling, from stream to stream and in your doggie bowl…"

Rose giggles.  "Torri the Magic Corgi.  Lived by the Sea.  And froliced in the autamn leaves, in a land call Honnah Lee," the tune is off key but recognizable.

Beth giggles and joins in.  "Little Rosie paper loved that corgi dog, and brought her snacks and salmon fish and other dum-de-dog.  Oh…."

They sing the chorus together and dissolve in gales of laughter.

Rose giggles into the sleeve of her jacket.  "Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?"

"Torri the red-nosed corgi," Beth whispers, curled over her viola.

Swallowing her giggles Rose joins that one enthuiastically.  "(Corgi!).  Had a very shiny nose (Like a light bulb!).  All of the other Corgi (Corgi).  Used to laugh and say ‘It glows!’ (Like a light bulb!)"

Beth is laughing too hard to join in and is waving one hand ineffectually for mercy

 Rose grins with mischief and continues.  "Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say (Where’s my underwear?).  Torri with your nose so bright, won’t guide my sleigh tonight?

"Then all the Corgi loved her (loved her).  And they shouted out with glee (Yipee!).  Torri the red nosed Corgi (Corgi). You’ll go down in history! (Like George Washington! Or Abraham Lincoln!)"

"Oh, gods," Beth whimpers.  She carefully puts her viola down in its case and wraps an arm around her aching belly, still laughing and shaking a finger at Rose.  "That’s just evil," she wheezes.

Rose laughs.  "Do your ears hang low?  Do they wobble to and fro?  Can you tie them in a knot?  Can you tie them in a bow?  Can you throw them over your shoulder, like a Continental Soldier?  Do your ear hang low?"

"Regimental Soldier works for that one too," Beth comments with a smile.  She takes a deep breath and launches into another song.  "I’ve got a loverly bunch of coconuts.  See them all sitting in a row…Big ones, small ones some as big as your head."

"We’re Knight of the Round Table!"  Rose continues the game.  "We dance whene’er we’re able!  We do routines and chorus scenes!  With footwork impeccable!"

Something Beth remembers from childhood, "My hat it has three corners, three corners has my hat, and had it not three corners, it would not be my hat!"

Rose side eyes Beth for a moment before starting her next choice.  "Mammas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys!  Don’t let ‘em play guitars and drive them ol’ trucks!  Make ‘em be doctors and lawyers and such!"

Running with the country theme Beth throws in, "When the work’s all done and the sun’s settin’ low, I pull out my fiddle and rosin up my bow.  The kids are all asleep so I keep it kinda low and thank god I’m a country boy!"

Rose grins a bit.  "The Devil went down to Georgia, he was looking for a soul to steal.  He was in a bind, because he was way behind.  And he was willing to make a deal."

Beth joins in singing with her, tightening her bow and grabbing up her fiddle viola to throw in a little wailing between the verses.  Rose claps her hands in time and stomps her boot on the ground, dancing a bit on her tree root.

Standing up and tucking her viola firmer under her chin Beth throws of a random selection of fiddle tunes, dancing music while Rose closes her eyes and waves her hands around as if she were conducting an orchestra.

Beth watches her and smiles as without consulting her her hands slide into a tune about pretty girls, watching and wanting them. Letting the moment sweep her along Beth lets the viola droop as she picks up the words and sings them at Rose, ready to swing into another piece of fiddling if Rose looks offended by the song.  Rose doesn't notice, lost in her head all she needs is a screwdriver in her hand and it’d be like hanging out in the workshop with her dad, conducting the song Jarvis is playing while Tony throws rubber washers at her like confetti.

 Beth is grinning as she plays a musical interlude between chorus’s and trying to follow Rose’s musical directions without laughing so much that she can’t.  Rose’s brain track switches to Joan Jett and Rose bops along to the song in her mind.  A laughing Beth has to take a deep breath before continuing to sing. 

Rose makes up an air guitar bit and plays along with the song in her head, looking almost like she’s trying to head bang without the long hair for it.  Beth grins and jams along with Rose’s invisible guitar. The sad thing is that this is the closest she has been to jamming with someone in years and she is reminded how much she misses getting to play with others. She notices the music getting melancholy and tries to push it back to happy.

 

Beth keeps playing until she can’t keep up the energy levels without a break then she sits down with a thump and tucks the viola and bow back into the case before looking up at the still jamming Rose.

"Hey, dancing queen, I need a break. Wanna sit down again for a bit?"

"What?"  Rose finally pulls her ear phones out, then sits down when she sees Beth. She looks around her tree and at the grass.

"That was fun," Beth reassures her with a grin.  "I’m just tired. Playing that kind of music on the viola gets a bit tiring, all that bowing.  Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, I guess."  Rose looks at a tiny clover, and she wishes.she trusted herself more to try and help it grow.

"Want to talk about it? I’m good at listening," Beth suggests gently.

"Eh. A friend left me for his new girlfriend. And I hate her. And other people like her and I don’t want them to."

"That’s hard," Beth says slowly, thinking fast. She pulls at some blades of grass, shredding them in her fingers.  "Do you hate her for her or just because she stole a friend?"

"Never met her. Don’t want to. I just want her to go away. Far away. So she can’t steal any more of my people."  Rose plays with her Captain America and Sting keychains.

Beth takes some time to think, scratching in the dirt with a stick, before responding.  "Well, I don’t know any of your people, at least I don’t know any more about them than what they like to order at the cafe. And I know that I don’t really know you, not yet. But I think that you are really cool. You’re beautiful and interesting and you kind of buzz and sparkle, if that makes any sense. I know that Torri loves you and I’m sure that you have lots of other people who love you too."

She pauses, trying to find a way into what she’s trying to say.  "Let me try another direction. You love your people right? Want to do stuff with them, miss them when they’re busy or have to go away for a bit, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you wouldn’t let someone steal you away from them all, right?"

"If I could stop it. But she took Robin. And she needs to give him back. And go back home and get out of mine. Stupid cougar," Rose mutters.

"Is she hurting him? Is he old enough to choose for himself? Remember I don’t know any of these people," Beth reminds her.

"I don’t know. He hasn’t talked to me in awhile. Since he got with her. He’s not even old enough to drink!"

"Well the drinking age is pretty high."  Beth pulls a face and thinks some more.  "Well talking to someone when you’re really angry with their behavior never works very well, that just leads to shouting and that generally makes things worse. Is there someone else you can talk to about this who knows these people and who you can trust to listen to you and not dismiss how you’re feeling about it?"

"There’s… a therapst… she does a lot of work with homeopathic remedies. Teas, salves and stuff. She doesn’t know them, I don’t think. But she knows people. And she feels good. Soft and warm like wool," Rose admits.

"I think you should talk with her about it. Ask her to help you to find a way to talk with your friend. Maybe you could ask her to talk with him for you at first. If he’s young and distracted by falling in love for the first time then he probably hasn’t realised what it has been like for you."

"I suppose I could… she does say she’s there to help with anything."  Rose looks up at the leaves and sunlight.

"If she says that and you trust her then you should take her at her word and take this to her. Agreed?" Beth prods, wanting to be sure that Rose will talk with someone who can help her with this pain.

Rose nods a bit and Beth smiles.

"Good."  She pauses a moment before continuing.  "There’s something else I want to talk to you about. You remind me of my cousin Ross, that I was telling you about earlier. Well I’d be really worried if I found him this upset and curled up in a public park instead of in a safe hiding place at home. Not that I haven’t loved a chance to get to talk and play music and silly stuff with you away from the cafe but don’t you have somewhere at home where you can hide yourself and stabilize? Somewhere safe?"

"Yeah. Lots of places. Lots of people. I just needed out. Away. I love Jarvis, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes the Tower is too much."

"I can understand that. I used to get like that at Julliard sometimes. Well, if you want to exchange cell numbers, if I’m not at work next time you need out I could come guard your time-outing… or go distracting places, whichever sort of time-out you’re needing at the time. Um… if that makes sense, I’m not sure if that made sense."  Beth laughs at herself for the awkward phrasing that devolved into.

Rose searches her pockets for her card case.  "No dunce caps," she comments as she pulls out a card and scribbles her number on the back.

"No dunce caps?" Beth queries, getting her phone out.

"It’s a long story involving robots, smoothies, and ghost peppers."

Rose gives Beth the card.

"You’ll have to tell me sometime," suggests Beth, taking the card and hoping for more 'sometimes'.  "Thanks, I don’t have any cards with my number but if I send you a message with my name in it you can add it to your phone, right?"

"Yup." Rose waves her StarkPhone.

"Cool, just a minute."

Beth bends over her phone, inputting Rose’s number then texting, "Hi, it’s me. I’m glad I saw you today."

She watches while Rose reads it.

 

Rose saves the number and types back, "Thanks for the private concert."

Beth reads it and grins.  "You’re welcome. It was fun," she replies aloud.

She flicks the card over and looks at the other side.  "SI? Stark? Even she knows that name. Personal assistant?" She blinks and looks up at Rose.  "Is that as in Tony Stark, in there?" she waves towards Stark Tower.

"Yup. The one and only. I live there, too. On call 24/7/365 unless otherwise given the day off."

Beth laughs.  "That’s a bit rough. But I’d bet it’s a pretty exciting job too. Hope he lets you have some time off to visit friends."

"I’m free to come and go if he has nothing he needs me for. So far he’s never once called me past 8pm. And getting him up before noon is hard. But he’s a good man. He treats me well."

Beth grins and rubs her hands together.  "Soooo, he doesn’t do mornings?… So next time my shifts change to afternoon I could claim some of your mornings for hanging out, doing some more music, whatever?" she suggests, losing her fight against being smitten, not that she was ever winning it, really.

"Yup. I get up early for work outs. Except weekends when I sleep in. Pretty much, if I’m not with Tony, I’m free. He can call me if he needs me. Or he’ll just walk around shouting for me. He’s fun like that."

Beth blinks.  "Fun?"  Then she shakes her head.  "Never mind. He’s your employer and you really shouldn’t be talking to others about things like that, especially virtual strangers. This is me not asking questions."  She pokes her tongue out at Rose.

Rose laughs. "Yeah, like you would do anything. You’re a spice drop. You’re not going to hurt me."

"Spice drop… never mind I’ll ask when we have the time."  Beth laughs.  "And no, I’m not going to do anything to hurt you, nothing on purpose, anyway. But it’s a good habit to have, not everywhere is as clear as this and there are lots of stupid people out there who love to pick up anything they can about people like Tony Stark."  She pulls a face like she’s tasted something bad.

"I’m not worried about it. I’ve been work this job since November."

Beth shrugs with a wry smile.  "Guess I’m just worrying and over thinking things again. I do that, don’t mind me. My brothers never do."

"Its not bad. Tony Stark as a good boss doesn’t excatly make a newsworthy story."

"Heh, more’s the pity. Hey look, he’s human, like one of those things you’re suppose to treat with respect and all that, remember? Not a character to chase and swoon after.  Um… sorry, bit of a pet peeve there. People are stupid. Lots of people are very stupid."  She rolls her eyes and shrugs in apology.  "I’d better let you get back to work. Otherwise you’ll never find the time to come visit the cafe again," she says with a wink.

"Eh, Torri will make sure I go back. Dog chocolate."

"I’ll have to make sure we stock up then, it wouldn’t do to run out. You might stop visiting."

They exchange a few more random comments before parting ways. Rose back towards the tower and home. Beth also heading home, having written off busking for the day and wanting some time to process the conversation.


End file.
